PM Barak- Ball is Now in Arafat-s Court-23-Aug-2000

PM Barak: Ball is Now in Arafat’s Court (Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Ehud Barak met yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), 22.8.2000, at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, with King Abdallah of Jordan; the two men discussed the peace process and bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Barak expressed his appreciation for the King’s role in advancing the peace process and recalled the contribution of the latter’s late father, King Hussein, who had worked so closely with the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Prime Minister Barak emphasized that the ball is now in Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s court, as are the keys for moving the peace process forward. King Abdallah noted that Jordan views peace agreements with the Palestinians and Syria as strategically important and praised Prime Minister Barak for his courage, determination and commitment to the peace process.

The two men agreed to continue their dialogue in the near future due to both the importance of the issue and time constraints.